Matt Stone

Beware the buzz

9/7/2026

Matt Stone discovers what makes a tiny mosquito one of the
world’s most efficient killers.

By Matt Stone

I’M PRETTY sure we’ve all been there. Snuggled under the doona at night, semi asleep, with only the head out, when you are awakened by that most annoying, high-pitched whine – a mosquito. Involuntarily you slap at the noise, give yourself a ringing in the ear, and miss the mosquito. Under the covers goes your head in the hope that, if sharing your bed with a partner, the mosquito may decide they look a better option. All’s fair in love and war.

Liane tells me I’m paranoid about mosquitoes, but I have to admit they’re pretty amazing little critters. My (admitted) paranoia relates to getting malaria while on a volunteer assignment in Madang, PNG. While we always take our “doxy”, we checked and the World Health site indicated Madang was malaria free – so we didn’t bother to medicate.

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Long live the olive!

20/5/2026

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Home-grown olives ready for pressing at Wonny Olives

By Matt Stone

‘TIS THE season to be merry, if your tastes go to pickled olives or “homemade virgin olive oil”. The olives, in this unseasonal (are there seasons any more?) weather, are ripening on the trees around Wonthaggi and environs.

Of course, olives have been around for a while. They originated in Asia Minor, but were first formally grown in the eastern Mediterranean region, i.e. Israel, Lebanon, and Syria around 6000-4000 BC. They were growing wild well before that. They were expanded by Phoenician and Greek colonisation, then massively scaled by the Romans for their oil.

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The secret life of figs

30/4/2026

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Matt Stone will never look at a ripe fig in quite the same way

Warning: This article contains references to things which may affect future culinary choices.

By Matt Stone

WHEN recently “donating blood” at Dracula’s office we were chatting with the technician on significant geopolitical resolutions, which somehow moved onto the fruit season in our respective gardens. We spoke of apples, nashi pears, plums and what a good season it was, but shared disappointment in this year’s tomato crops.

In the conversation I said we could not prune the many low-hanging branches on our lovely old fig tree as they were absolutely laden with fruit. This elicited “Ah, the fig wasp!” from the technician. Liane and I looked at each other and agreed we had never heard of it. Our technician wasn’t able to give much detail, so suggested we google it - enough said, and I duly did.

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Bruce, Scabby and Bob

2/4/2026

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Best buddies (and possibly more) Scabby and Bob. Photos: Liane Arno

By Matt Stone

WE LOVE to sit on the front deck as evening falls and watch and listen to visiting birds – the beautiful warble of the magpies and even the raucous sound of squabbling lorikeets. Most are referred to by Liane as ‘Darling’ or ‘Gorgeousness’ as she offers them small amounts of food – their incentive to stay away from our plums, apples, nashi pears and apricots.

Last year we were so excited to be visited by a sulphur crested cockatoo. What a magnificent creature with his big, beautiful distinctive crest. He created a shadow as he arrived and all the other birds left in a hurry to the power lines above until they realised he wasn’t a threat and headed back.

We called him Bruce (as you do) and would eagerly wait each evening to see if he returned. I must admit we felt a bit sorry for him as he was alone.

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Special spiders

18/3/2026

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By Matt Stone

LIANE and I were luxuriating in the pool one evening, sharing a wine and some canapes (as one does) when she said how clever spiders are. Given she has an absolute phobia toward spiders, big and small, I was somewhat surprised with her apparent fascination.

As I couldn’t see what she was talking about, she described how there was a beautiful web stretching between the pool fence uprights, and in the middle was a curled leaf. We reflected that not all webs had leaves in them, let alone nicely curled ones.

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I had a dream

14/1/2026

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Matt Stone delves into the dream world.

By Matt Stone

I DREAM, but not with quite the same repercussions as Martin Luther King Jnr, who famously said, in his 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech, “I had a dream.”

I was never sure of what he actually dreamt so I did some research. The gist of it was racial equality, freedom from inequality, justice and fairness, unity and brotherhood and opportunity for all. Hmm, doesn’t sound like the America of today, does it?

He paid a high price for his dream five years later, when he was (supposedly) assassinated by James Earl Ray. It was later proved Ray was falsely convicted – love a good conspiracy. That’s more like the America of today!

I always dream. In fact the only way I know I have slept is the memory of dreaming – but I have little recollection of what I dreamt, unless Liane accuses me of kicking her in the leg, and I then recall trying to kick a football that kept rolling away. Hopefully, for matrimonial harmony, my football dream days are far and few between.

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​Beware the buzz

​Long live the olive!

​The secret life of figs

​Bruce, Scabby and Bob

​Special spiders

I had a dream

Beware the buzz

Long live the olive!

The secret life of figs

Bruce, Scabby and Bob

Special spiders